swaddle

verb

swad·​dle ˈswä-dᵊl 

swaddled; swaddling ˈswäd-liŋ 

ˈswä-dᵊl-iŋ

transitive verb

1

a

: to wrap (an infant) with swaddling clothes

b

: envelop, swathe

legs swaddled in bandages

2

: restrain, restrict

marriage … swaddled him in a domesticity he came to loathe

—Nina Auerbach

Examples of swaddle in a Sentence

He swaddled the baby in a blanket.

Recent Examples on the Web

The first picture showed Taiga just after his birth, swaddled in a hospital blanket while lying in a bassinet. —Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 11 July 2024

The best towels, however, will swaddle you like a newborn and provide a glorious ending to your everything shower. —Anamaria Glavan, Allure, 26 June 2024

Sy deftly swaddles an intoxicating love story around a chilling climate parable set in a rural northern Senegalese village. —Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 June 2024

Reviewers can’t stop gushing over the supportive footwear, as each shoe is crafted with a waterproof and breathable material that’ll swaddle your feet in comfort while keeping them cool and dry during hot temps. —Rylee Johnston, Billboard, 1 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English swadelen, swathelen, probably alteration of swedelen, swethelen, from swethel swaddling band, from Old English; akin to Old English swathian to swathe

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

swaddle

verb

swad·​dle ˈswäd-ᵊl 

swaddled; swaddling ˈswäd-liŋ 

-ᵊl-iŋ

: to wrap an infant with swaddling clothes